Risks

Diagnostic ultrasound has been used during pregnancy for many years and is generally considered safe when used appropriately. The lowest amount of ultrasound energy that provides an accurate assessment should be used. Your obstetric provider and ultrasonographer have been trained in appropriate use of ultrasound energy.

Ultrasound should be requested only by a physician or licensed health care provider for medical reasons. The use of fetal ultrasound solely to create keepsake photos or videos isn't recommended.

Fetal ultrasound also has limitations. Fetal ultrasound might not detect all birth defects — or might incorrectly suggest a birth defect is present when it's not.

Frequently asked questions. Special procedures FAQ025. Ultrasound. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. http://www.acog.org/~/media/For%20Patients/faq025.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20120731T1633444415. Accessed July 31, 2012.

ACR–ACOG–AIUM–SRU practice parameter for the performance of obstetrical ultrasound. Amended 2014. American College of Radiology. http://www.acr.org/~/media/ACR/Documents/PGTS/guidelines/US_Obstetrical.pdf. Accessed April 22, 2015.

Fetal imaging: Executive Summary of a Joint Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Radiology, Society for Pediatric Radiology, and Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Fetal Imaging Workshop. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2014;124:836.

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